A Polk County jury is hearing evidence about Shaun Runyon’s mental health before recommending a sentence for the 2021 murders.
BARTOW, FL — A Florida jury is weighing whether Shaun Runyon should face the death penalty after convicting the Pennsylvania electrician of murdering three coworkers during a 2021 attack at a short-term rental home in Polk County.
Runyon, 44, was found guilty Sept. 10 of three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder. Prosecutors are seeking death sentences for the killings of Kevin Lanusse, 41, Dewlon Donell, 46, and Gregory Dolezal, 41. The case has now moved into a separate penalty phase in which jurors are hearing evidence about aggravating and mitigating circumstances before making a sentencing recommendation.
The killings happened Oct. 2, 2021, at a rental home in unincorporated Davenport, where Runyon and other employees of Pennsylvania-based J&B Electric were staying while working on an electrical project for Publix. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Runyon had argued with Lanusse, his supervisor, at a job site the previous day and punched him before leaving. His coworkers believed he was returning to Pennsylvania.
Authorities said Runyon instead returned to Florida and attacked the men the next morning. Lanusse and Donell were killed after being struck with a baseball bat, according to the sheriff’s office. Dolezal awoke during the attack and was fatally stabbed as he tried to escape. Another coworker was struck with the bat but survived, while other people in the house escaped without further injury.
Investigators arrested Runyon later that day at a hospital in Lake Wales. The sheriff’s office said after his arrest that Runyon told detectives he had driven to Georgia, bought a crossbow and formed a plan to return to Florida and kill his coworkers. Authorities said he later purchased a baseball bat in Tampa and used it during the attack instead of the crossbow. Evidence presented at trial also included purchases, vehicle movements and physical evidence that prosecutors said showed planning before the killings.
Runyon’s mental health has become a central issue during the penalty phase. On Thursday, defense witness Dr. Karim Yamout testified that Runyon suffered from a delusional disorder and may also have been affected by drugs. Prosecutors questioned Yamout about Runyon’s history of substance use and challenged how much of his behavior should be attributed to mental illness rather than choices he made.
Earlier court records showed that Runyon’s mental condition had been evaluated before trial. His attorneys raised concerns about statements they said reflected delusional beliefs, and psychologists examined whether those beliefs affected his mental state. During the penalty proceedings, the defense is seeking to present that history as mitigating evidence for jurors deciding whether to recommend death or life imprisonment.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, have emphasized evidence surrounding the preparation for the attack and the circumstances of the three killings. Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson told jurors during the trial that Runyon obtained items while traveling after leaving the job site and returned to Central Florida before attacking the workers at the rental home. The state has argued that the evidence shows deliberate planning before the murders.
The victims and Runyon had traveled to Florida for the same contracting job. Lanusse was from Effort, Pennsylvania; Donell was from Baltimore; and Dolezal was from Ohio, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The agency released their names with permission from their families after the 2021 killings.
Under Florida’s capital sentencing process, at least eight of the 12 jurors must support a death recommendation for that punishment to remain available to the judge. The jury has not yet made its recommendation. Proceedings were recessed after Thursday’s testimony and are scheduled to resume Tuesday, Sept. 22, when the penalty phase is expected to continue.
Author note: Last updated September 18, 2026.